The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing standards to limit mercury, acid gases and other toxic pollution from power plants, keeping 91 percent of the mercury in coal from being released to the air. Harmful particle pollution will also be reduced, preventing hundreds of thousands of illnesses and up to 17,000 premature deaths each year. Currently, there are no national limits on the amount of mercury and other toxic air pollution released from power plant smokestacks.Toxic air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants cause serious health impacts. Mercury can harm children's developing brains, including effects on memory, attention, language, and fine motor and visual spatial skills. Other toxic metals such as arsenic, chromium and nickel can cause cancer. Mercury and many of the other toxic pollutants also damage the environment and pollute our nation's lakes, streams, and fish.Reducing toxic power plant emissions will also cut fine particle pollution and prevent thousands of premature deaths and tens of thousands of heart attacks, bronchitis cases and asthma attacks. EPA estimates the value of the improvements to health alone total $59 billion to $140 billion in 2016. This means that for every dollar spent to reduce pollution from power plants, we get $5 to $13 in health benefits.The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments mandated EPA to control toxic air pollutants more than 20 years ago. Since then, EPA has taken action to reduce mercury emissions from all the highest-emitting sources – except power plants. The technology to control toxic air pollution is well-developed, widely available, and already being used by some power plants. In addition, meeting the proposed standards will create good jobs for American workers needed to build, install and operate the equipment to reduce the harmful emissions of mercury and other toxics.This proposed rule replaces the court-vacated Clean Air Mercury Rule.